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Weekly Slideshow of Paintings by the Group

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This blog was created to showcase the works of artists around the world who paint primarily with the palette knife.

Calling all Palette Knife Painters

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Last Bloom White Lilies is the newest small work on the easel in Flower Mound Studio and tomorrow used to be the day I dreaded most. Monday, heading back to an office chair, sitting in front of a computer all day, counting the hours until I was home and back in the studio with the pugs. I'm still not quite used to the idea of being able to stay home and be a full time artist, but I'm certainly enjoying the transition period! The countdown to my solo show in California has begun, and I'm headlong into my second large container garden for the show, painting pots and flower gardens as fast as my brush will fly. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it....!

I rendered these two 36"x48" aspen tree paintings as if they were aglow by the light of the moon in the dark of the darkest night. It's no secret that I love aspens! These two large paintings, "Circle of Quiet One" and "Circle of Quiet Two", have recently sold to a new collector.

My oversized paintings are usually purchased to be the focal point of a big room. Also, a larger work of art can actually make a smaller room appear to be much bigger than it is. To see more of my work, please visit my website.CLICK HERE

Before the Storm Blue Hydrangeas is the newest small work in the studio, a nod to the beautiful blue hydrangea plant I found at the nursery this week, along with geraniums, petunias, and fluffy green hanging ferns for our back yard retreat. Howard and his brother and sisters helped me plant all our new flowers in the garden today, and I'm hoping for many blossom models this spring for new paintings. Happy Easter from the pugs and I in Flower Mound Studio!

Saturday, March 30, 2013

We've
had a long period of rain, so to give myself a lift, I painted another
painting of the sunflower fields. This has a slightly different feel to
the first Sunshine in Provence paintings. (see HERE)

Again painted with a palette knife to keep it loose and lively.
Here is a close up of the knife work.

Two of a Kind Hydrangeas is the newest painting in Flower Mound Studio, and feels a bit like one of my small daily paintings after the days I've spent on a few four foot container gardens! AnnieBee and I packed up our favorite pillows and toys and headed to the farm to spend time with Mom this morning. We're looking forward to movie night and popcorn. I hope you have a nice weekend ahead with comfy spots to rest and little cuties to snuggle with!

Lacy Ladies Sunflower and Daisies was my demonstration yesterday evening for the Rockwall Art League in Rockwall, Texas, a lovely little town on the lake that has grown by leaps and bounds since long ago when I worked for one of the small newspapers in that area! It was tons of fun to return to my old stomping grounds and visit with a group of enthusiastic artists, right next to a park. Betty Jean Hoaglund did a marvelous job of keeping me on track and on time, and let me paint sunflowers 'til the sun went down. What a perfect way to spend a Wednesday! Thanks so much to everyone who attended, many familiar faces from past workshops and Dallas Arboretum visitors.

I still have a bowl full of garlic in my studio from painting this painting. I noticed yesterday that I was feeling hungry all day - I think the garlic aroma was making my mouth water! Time to clean the studio...

Have a Happy Easter weekend!

I love to share my art and inspiration. Click HERE to sign up for my email newsletter and receive a free gift of postcards.

I am still waking up each morning, 2 weeks after quitting my 6-figure corporate job, living a life in between. Between the time when I should have put on my office clothes, braved the Dallas traffic, and spent my day in a glass building and instead am now waking up with snoring pugs curled around me, the sunshine streaming in, and knowing that my day will be filled with art, packing and shipping paintings, ordering paints, cleaning brushes, and moving through a life filled with color.

I'm walking into the wilds away from the corporate jungle,

with my eyes wide open, and hoping for the best.

I remember the moment when I was a senior in high school, when my parents asked me what I really wanted to be when I grew up. I told them I wanted to be an artist. We were standing outside, in front of the house, in the driveway, and it was around 5 pm, I could tell from the light and the position of the sun. Sometimes we understand without even knowing it when a pivotal moment occurs in our lives, when some small act, or statement, has significance that will resonate years later, a memory that will survive the detritus of time. I remember that moment as if it were yesterday. And I have finally arrived at the brink of that dream. I do not know if I will survive financially. But I know that I have leaped off the treadmill and chosen a path of freedom. I'm walking into the wilds away from the corporate jungle, with my eyes wide open, and hoping for the best.

Inspired by a trip to the hill country, I wanted you feel the warmth and beauty on this perfect spring day while out for a leisurely drive among the bluebonnets and Texas wildflowers. Painted with thick oil paint and palette knives to achieve extreme texture, the resulting image comes to life and is loaded with color, movement and energy.

To see more of Niki Gulley's textured landscape paintings please check out NikiGulley.com,

If you'd like to join Niki for her upcoming workshop April 5th - 7th, Plein Air Painting in the Texas Hill Country, sponsored by The Good Art Company Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX please check out NikiGulley.com/artreks for more details.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her Texas bluebonnet and wildflower paintings.

One
of the pears from yesterday's still life was eaten for breakfast, so I
made up the trio of fruits with an apple. It had similar colouring to
the pears and was a good substitute. It can't understand why it is
different though, and can't join in with the pears LOL.Take a look at my 'Three of a Kind', pear still life painting

Good Day Sunshine Sunflowers was my class demonstration Saturday at the Dallas Arboretum, painted while it rained outside the classroom! Fortunately the big storm blew away quickly, so by the time class was over I was able to tiptoe around in the tulips and post more photos for you on my art blog. The azaleas are just opening up, the very brightly colored bushes behind the tulips, and the cherry blossoms were framing the sky along all the walkways.

Monday, March 25, 2013

As
a change from the landscapes and florals I have been painting lately, I
wanted to paint some still lifes and practise my palette knife skills
at the same time. These red pears sitting in the fruit bowl, just cried out to be painted. I used thick paint and had to resist the temptation to smooth everything down. I'll be interested in hearing your comments about this style.

I painted these Texas bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrush and Coreopsis with extremely thick oil paint and palette knives to achieve depth and texture. The resulting image comes to life and is loaded with color and energy. In this wildflower series, I've painted the edges of the 1 and 1/2 inch deep stretcher bars with the scene continuing around the sides so that it can be hung without a frame, or I have the option of an espresso floater frame which draws your attention into the painting.

To see more of Niki Gulley's textured landscape paintings please check out NikiGulley.com,

If you'd like to join Niki for her upcoming workshop April 5th - 7th, Plein Air Painting in the Texas Hill Country, sponsored by The Good Art Company Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX please check out NikiGulley.com/artreks for more details.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her Texas bluebonnet and wildflower paintings.

My students painted pink hydrangeas and yellow sunflowers and the big bright classroom was all warmed up for us when we arrived, with a box of double glazed donuts and a pot of hot coffee. The Dallas Arboretum is one of my favorite places to teach in the whole world. I am happy to report not a single delectable donut went to waste and there were many smiles as the ladies packed up their easels at the end of the day, taking home at least two new paintings each! Pretty good for a one-day class. I just had two seats open in my April 3-day class at the Jaycee Parks Center for the Arts, so don't delay, put a little joy in your brush and let's make flowers happen this spring!

Wine and art make for a fun evening! Our group PAINT (Professional Artists in North Texas) had a great turnout at the Ft. Worth Community Arts Center reception last night. It was nice to see many of my collectors in attendance. This piece is one of the paintings that found a new home last night.

I love to share my art and inspiration. Click HERE to sign up for my email newsletter and receive a free gift of postcards.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

I recently took a long drive up the coast of California from my home and studio, to a gallery that was starting to show my paintings. I love the shapes and colors that are created from the farmers creative ways of laying out their land. I would actually like to speak to a few and hear how they make the decisions on what is to be planted to the north, south, etc. Do they later check it out at a distance and appreciate the art they have created?

This
is painted from the batch of photos taken while on a photo shoot of the
lavender fields near Valensole last year. Scattered amongst the lavender fields
were fields of sunflowers, quite a contrast to all the lavender
elsewhere.

This was painted using a palette knife and has an impasto texture. Here is a close up of the paint application

This piece is now SOLDTo view the companion painting to this CLICK HERE

Purple Dancers is a new small work in the studio, as I pack up paints, flowers, and donuts for my class at the Dallas Arboretum tomorrow morning. I'm hoping for clear skies and low breezes, because it is peek tulip blooming time there and my camera battery is all warmed up! Stay tuned over the next few days for photos of the workshop and my students, and images from the annual Dallas Blooms Festival in the gardens!